Slaine X Inaho: Scars
by rizes
Summary: Slaine has never shown his scars to anyone. He not only bares scars on his body, but the memory of his past still haunts him. What happens when Inaho realizes this?


It was late. Too late. Shouldn't Slaine be back by now? What's taking him so long?

"Just wait outside," He had said. "I won't take long." He had said.

Slaine had went inside of the coffee shop to pick up a quick cup of coffee before they head back to their apartment. Inaho hated the smell of coffee, so he decided to wait outside on one of the benches. But he's been in there for 20 minutes now. He's not an expert, but he's pretty sure it didn't take _that_ long to fix up a cup of coffee. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

So, he decided to stand up and look through the window to see if he can spot Slaine inside. Sure enough, he saw him in an instant- standing by a table at the corner of the building. There was another girl there that was talking to him. Slaine wore a beaming smile on his face as he chatted with the girl, laughing a little every now and then.

Ah, so that's why he's been taking so long.

He couldn't help but feel something burning inside of him. Is it...jealousy? He rarely...almost never feels this way. Why did he feel it while he watched Slaine talking with this girl?

Inaho narrows his eyes and begins walking alongside the side, still glaring through the glass. He'll have to go in there and fetch him, since apparently Slaine had forgotten all about him.

Preparing himself for the strong scent inside, he walked through the door, making the annoying bell jingle a few times. Slaine still didn't look his way.

Inaho walked over to them, his face blank but inside he was _furious_.

"Slaine."

The light-haired boy finally glanced up at him, straightening quickly once he realized who it was. His eyes flashed with guilt as he noticed how long he had left Inaho waiting out there, "I-Inaho! I...I um.."

Inaho stared at him, his gaze melting through him as if he were made out of ice. Nervously rubbing the back of his neck, Slaine quickly cracked a forced smile and gestured towards the dark-haired girl sitting on the chair at the table, "This is-"

He didn't want to hear it. This girl shouldn't be talking to Slaine in the first place. Why does Slaine think that Inaho's interested at all in meeting her?

Inaho grabs his wrist, making Slaine stiffen, "Come on, we're leaving." And with that, Inaho started to drag him back towards the doors, almost causing Slaine to drop his cup. Slaine looked as if he wanted to resist, but Inaho's strength must have surprised him, because he couldn't free himself from the boy's grip.

The girl watched them, puzzled, as they burst out of the coffee shop. Inaho breathed in the fresh air again, finally releasing Slaine's wrist once they were both outside.

"What was that all about?" Slaine snapped, rubbing the area on his lower hand where Inaho had held.

Inaho didn't look at him, instead started walking down the sidewalk, towards the apartments, "You left me out here for a long time. What were you thinking?"

Slaine followed, "I know that girl from school, she's a friend of mine. I couldn't just leave without saying hello…hey, wait."

Inaho felt his hand fall on his right shoulder, making him halt. Slowly, Inaho turned to face him with the same stone-hard expression he always wore on his face. He was good at hiding his emotions.

"Why are you acting like this?" Slaine questioned, his icy blue eyes glowing with concern.

"You left me out in the cold, while you talk to a girl." Inaho replied flatly, slightly narrowing his eyes.

"You could have stayed in there with me, we could've-"

"I want to get home. There's a test tomorrow, remember? I need to study."

Slaine stayed quiet for a few seconds, his gaze unreadable. He sighed and closed his eyes, "Okay then…I was starting to think you were _jealous_."

Inaho felt his face turn hot and he hoped to God his cheeks didn't turn a tint of pink, "I'm not."

"You looked pretty mad when you pulled me out of there. Inaho, is something bothering you?"

Inaho stared at his companion for a while, his eyes hard. _Everything_ is bothering him right now. He clenched his fists and felt the ends of his nails dig into his palm, turning his knuckles pale, "What's it to you?"

Slaine took in a quick breath, "I-I don't know! I just don't want you to be bothered, that's all."

"I'm not bothered, or jealous. Even if I were, it _doesn't_ concern you.." Inaho felt his voice have a certain harsh edge to it, and even Slaine looked taken back by this. He saw his eyes sadden slightly and he seemed to avoid Inaho's gaze.

"Let's go." Inaho broke the uncomfortable silence that fell between them, and he turned to keep on walking.

"No! We're not going back until you tell me what's-!"

Slaine had grabbed hold of his hand tightly, taking Inaho off guard. On impulse, Inaho swerved around and raised up his hand only to swat his fingers away from his wrist. This gesture made Slaine stop talking and he quickly recoiled, shutting his eyes tight and bringing his hands away to shield his face. Why did he do that? Did he think he was going to…

Slaine stayed like that for a couple seconds, and Inaho can see that he's trembling. After the blond male realized that no impact was making contact with him, he slowly pulled his hands away, revealing terrified blue eyes. His face flushed and he pursed his lips tight, as if he was embarrassed.

"Slaine…" Inaho felt himself tense up when he heard his own voice crack.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" Slaine trailed off, raising one hand to quickly brush his fingers over his left cheek. Inaho looked closely and saw a scar where his finger had traced. And he spotted another on the back of his hand. Inaho's heart dropped.

"What happened to you?" Inaho asked, his voice quiet and intense, taking a few steps towards him.

"It's...nothing." Slaine murmured, averting his eyes towards the ground once more, "He doesn't hit me anymore. Not anymore."

Who's _he_? Inaho gritted his teeth and quickly took hold of Slaine's hand. He looked at the back side of it, running his own cold fingers down his scarred skin. Something told him that these weren't the only scars he bore. Inaho looked up to meet his blue eyes before pulling him with him towards an alley at the back of the coffee shop.

Puzzled, Slaine stopped at the brick wall at the back and faced him, "Why did you take me back here?"

"Take off your shirt."

Slaine's eyes widened, "H-Huh?"

"Just do it. I need to see."

Slaine gulped, a icy chill running down his spine. It's freezing out here, did Inaho want him to get a cold? But he obeyed, slowly taking off his bag and setting it on the ground beside his feet. He then proceeded to pull his shirt off, gradually. He's scared. Scared of what Inaho might say once he sees what was really hidden underneath.

Inaho's mouth slightly drops when his shirt is removed, revealing his bare chest that had multiple scar marks drawn across. Slaine saw his shock and he quickly folded his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes.

"I told you, it's nothing. He doesn't hurt me anymore. He's…"

Inaho took a step forward, his eyes for once showing a kind of emotion Slaine has never seen before on his face. It was guilt. Sadness. Horror.

_How could he not know about this? Why didn't Slaine ever tell him he was being abused? Why? _Inaho walked up until he was inches away from Slaine, who stared at him with wide eyes. Inaho waited a couple of seconds before gently pulling him into a hug. Slaine stiffened instantly, not expecting this sort of embrace especially from Inaho. But after a while, he slowly hugged him back, pulling him close. The warmth filled him and he no longer felt as bad. He felt…

"Slaine, I'd never hurt you." Inaho told him, his breath tickling the back of his neck. His voice no longer shook, and it was replaced with a hard sincerity, "Don't ever think I will, not even for a second. Don't recoil like that. Don't."

Slaine felt his eyes begin to burn but he refused to cry. He hugged him a little tighter, sinking his fingertips into his warm dark brown jacket, "I won't, Inaho."

Inaho flashed a small smile and finally pulled away, his warm eyes meeting Slaine's. He gave him a nod and took a step back, "I'm sorry, for pulling you out of the shop like that."

"It's fine. I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Slaine grinned back, reaching down to pick up his shirt. He slipped it back on and gathered his bag.

"Come on. We should go." Inaho said, as if nothing had happened just now. He turned and began walking back.

Slaine stayed where he was, watching him go. He never showed his scars to anyone. Not even Asseylum. He thought no one would care, or they would tell him he deserved it. But Inaho did the exact opposite. Slaine had always been afraid when people raised their voices, or lifted their hands up towards him. He always flinched, no matter what. Always expected impact. He had a feeling that that fear wouldn't be a problem for him anymore.

"Inaho."

The chestnut-haired boy froze and turned his head slightly over his shoulder. He looked back at him with soft eyes, the same smile still on his face.

Slaine gazed back at him, closing his eyes and giving him a sweet smile, "_Thank you._"


End file.
